Leptotes

Lindl., 1833

Zebra Blues

Species Guides

Leptotes cassius(Cassius blue)
Leptotes marina(Marine Blue)

Leptotes is a of small butterflies in the Lycaenidae, commonly known as zebra blues due to their distinctive zebra-striped undersides. The genus contains multiple distributed across tropical and subtropical regions including the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, southern and eastern Asia, and eastern Australia. Several species occur on oceanic islands including the Galapagos, Canary Islands, Mauritius, Príncipe, and São Tomé. Leptotes species are myrmecophilous, meaning they have associations with ants, though research suggests partners play a minor role in their occurrence on plants.

Leptotes cassius by (c) Helio Lourencini, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Helio Lourencini. Used under a CC-BY license.

Leptotes by (c) Wynand Uys, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Wynand Uys. Used under a CC-BY license.

Marine Blue, Leptotes marina by Michael Hodge. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Leptotes: /lepˈtoʊtiːz/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

Distributed across multiple biogeographic regions including the Americas (including peninsular Florida and the Galapagos), Canary Islands, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, southern and eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and Indian Ocean islands (Mauritius, Príncipe, São Tomé). The shows a pattern of reciprocal allopatry among three principal clades: America-Canary Islands, Africa-Europe-Middle East, and southern and eastern Asia-eastern Australia.

Similar Taxa

BrephidiumBoth are small blue butterflies (Lycaenidae) with similar size and coloration, though Brephidium (Western Pygmy-Blue) lacks the zebra-striped underside pattern characteristic of Leptotes.
HemiargusSimilar small blue butterflies in Lycaenidae; Hemiargus such as H. ceraunus (Ceraunus blue) overlap in distribution and with some Leptotes species but differ in wing pattern and antennal club shape.